Happy birthday, America! We (my grandmother and I!) spent our holiday weekend watching orange-pink sunsets & bursts of fireworks along the beach, playing dominoes until bed time, and chatting over coffee in the morning.

Today, we’re people watching & on the lookout for more fireworks. Holy hibiscus, Ccocoa Beach is beautiful in summer!

Some brunch inspiration for this weekend: Two Hands! I’ve been wanting to try the popular spot since I moved here, and I finally went last Saturday.

Two Hands is an Australian breakfast joint (I can count the number of times I’ve used the term ‘breakfast joint. Just once, just now.) known for its charming ambiance (clouds !!!! adorable little hanging clouds!!!) and healthy menu (fresh juices, superfood bowls, avo toast).

Last weekend had a bit of bizarre weather- cloudy, rainy mornings, heavy wind mixed with sunshine, freezing temps overnight. Aka everything to make my Spring Post look like a cruel April Fools joke…. Brunching here was the perfect choice for an instant boost of cheer. So colorful and bright. *Scours Pinterest for an illuminating cloud DIY tutorial.*

Everyone always says time moves quickly, but am I wrong for thinking 2016 is moving very, very, verrrrrryyyy quickly? April? Today? Already? Busyness aside, there’s something MAGICAL about the seasons changing. Every few months I’m convinced the approaching one is by far my favorite, and right now it’s seriously easy to consider Spring time in NYC as being number one.

Sometimes on a Monday morning during Winter, it helps to think about the beach. I already posted some ocean photos of my time visiting my Grandmother in Cocoa Beach in January, but here are even more tropical photos. I’ll let them do the talking. Have a great week, everyone!

It’s not complicated. The face part is less complicated than the coffee part. Getting ready for the day is crazy easy because I use the Glossier trio which takes about twenty seconds.

Some time ago, I found a bizarre Chicago Tribune article from the ’50’s where Lillian Gish, silent film star extraordinare, described her beauty routine. It included ideas like a “Beer Cure” diet to gain weight that I completely disregarded. It also mentioned Gish uses almond oil regularly before bed– something she learned from her mother. The image stuck with me.

Flash forward to learning about Emily Weiss’s initiative to found Glossier (A year ago!) out of her beauty obsession. I met Weiss in L.A. during their Santa Monica pop-up shop. She was a joy and a pleasure and the coolest of the cool. She told me moisturizing was the most important part of a skincare routine. I left with the entire line of products and, have since, never gone a day without them.

Whenever I use Glossier’s Moon Mask, I wonder What is in this Witchcraft? It’s like a cozy blanket for my face. What’s in it is a lot of goodness, but the first main ingredient is almond oil. My beauty destiny has come full circle! Kind of an irrational though as almond oil is in all sorts of skincare products… but still.. The Moon Mask makes me feel like I could, if I felt like it, conquer the silver screen.

And here is where I realize I’ve written an entire post about my morning routine on the face mask I use each night. What? Oops? But f’real, it is the product I’d recomend most from the list of my favorites below. They’re amazing. Buy them all so you can be just like me! Jk. But if you’re looking for change, this list is a good place to start.